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Jim McCormick, Special to ESPN.com
Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we’ll need to source stats from free agency to maximize our imaginary rosters.
A willingness to entertain competition for the final few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-the-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.
The goal of this weekly series is to identify players at each position widely available in free agency in ESPN leagues. Some are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. In the breakdowns below, I’ve listed players at each position in order of priority, rather than roster percentage, in ESPN men’s basketball leagues.
Point guard
Scotty Pippen Jr., Memphis Grizzlies (rostered in 36.0% of ESPN leagues): Found at sixth overall in assists, Pippen has carved an important creation role out for himself in the Memphis rotation. Most assist leaders are high-usage stars who are legitimate offensive engines, which makes Pippen’s ascent both unique and valuable in a fantasy context, given you can find a gifted passer for the cost of a roster spot. With Memphis thin at guard outside of its starting duo, expect Pippen to sustain a big role.
Tre Mann, Charlotte Hornets (34.4%): Not only did Mann enter the season with a fun new hairstyle, he has clearly earned the trust of the new coaching staff, given a steady role in the rotation as a complementary playmaker next to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. With the ability to do a bit of everything, Mann is becoming Malik Monk 2.0 in Charlotte.
Jose Alvarado, New Orleans Pelicans (13.8%): The Pelicans are facing a nearly unprecedented wave of injuries to impact players. CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones are all dealing with respective multi-game injuries. With so many key players sidelined, Alvarado should be a worthy source of assists and steals as an interim starter.
Shooting guard
Gradey Dick, SF, Toronto Raptors (47.8%): Peers with Kyrie Irving and Devin Booker in made 3-pointers on the season, Dick’s sophomore campaign is off to a stellar start. Opponents are already chasing him around a gauntlet of screens, while Dick can also put the ball on the floor when attacking a closeout. Is Dick going to regularly pop for more than 20 points on most nights? That appears bold, but he is becoming an elite specialist on a team that was desperate for spacing.
Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets (32.4%): An aggressive posterization of Rudy Gobert from Braun set off some drama in a recent loss to the rival Timberwolves. The move also signaled a fearlessness that has proven rewarding for Braun in box scores this season.
Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans (14.9%): Tied with Cade Cunningham and Tyler Herro in made 3-pointers on the young season, Hawkins loves to shoot from deep. If Alvarado is more of a pure point guard, Hawkins is a class bucket-getter. The floor is low, but some fun scoring nights will materialize given the team’s need for points.
Small forward
Deni Avdija, PF, Portland Trail Blazers (54.2%): A preseason favorite of mine, Avdija does just enough of everything to surface as a helpful fantasy option. The scoring and volume could surge if, or when, the team deals off some veteran frontcourt starters. Even without an adjustment, there are few combo forwards with Avdija’s blend of passing, defense and rebounding skills.
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets (10.5%): The theme at the wing this week is glue guys, players who keep a team together on either end of the court, and sometimes both. Eason fits the bill in that he doesn’t need the ball much to do damage, but can also do so when called on. The recent scoring eruptions are not a trend, but his ability to deliver amazing defensive rates as a bulldog for Ime Udoka has proven valuable already.
Ochai Agbaji, SG, Toronto Raptors (16.0%): The Raptors might not unearth superstars at a high clip, but they sure do find two-way wings and gritty role players at an uncommon rate. Agbaji continues this theme with his arrival as a heavy-minute wing in place of an ailing Scottie Barnes. With stellar defensive rates and freedom to chase turnovers, he appears capable of sustaining impressive numbers while Barnes is on the mend.
Power forward
John Collins, Utah Jazz (57.4%): Forgotten to a degree on a somewhat directionless (for now) franchise in a deep conference, Collins is actually playing efficiently for the Jazz while sustaining a block and steal per game for Utah. The ceiling once envisioned in his early days in Atlanta is likely not achievable, but a strong season could still unfold.
Santi Aldama, C, Memphis Grizzlies (45.4%): A quiet breakout is unfolding with this young forward in Memphis. Aldama is nearly averaging a double-double and, like with Pippen, he’s earned a real and rewarding role in the team’s rotation.
Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs (39.8%): Maybe it took removing the ball from Sochan’s hands to help him become the glue guy we always anticipated? Working as an off-ball threat on both sides of the ball has led to some really fun and diverse production from this unique player
Center
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks (68.8%): There aren’t many points or rebounds coming from this aging pivot, but league-leading block potential and steady minutes as a fixture on a team in need of his interior presence should mean he’s rostered in nearly every format.
Alexandre Sarr, PF, Washington Wizards (25.6%): There was a loud response, understandably, to Sarr’s wildly inefficient offensive showing in the Summer League. There is a much quieter buzz emitting from Sarr’s arrival as an awesome rim protection prospect. He’s second only to Chet Holmgren in block percentage and yet is largely ignored despite being an impressive talent on a team intent on supplying him plenty of opportunities.
Special teams
This section focuses on specialists, players who flash in a singular category and can provide specific value to those in category and roto formats. Nominations are based on which category such players are helpful in and will rotate throughout the season.
3-pointers: The clear call here is Boston’s Payton Pritchard (31.1%), who has somehow come to average nearly 30 minutes per game for a team that simply has the ability to go deep into the rotation amid big leads. Pritchard shoots with range and confidence, suggesting he could be around to stay as a specialist.
Steals: The Trail Blazers are getting amazing steal production from a wing with a cool name. No, it’s not Matisse Thybulle, but Toumani Camara (5.8%), who sits fifth on the entire Player Rater in added value via steals.
Blocks: Sarr is the star in this sense, as he’s fifth in added value behind only Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama, Walker Kessler and Lopez in added value via swats.
Rebounds: Andre Drummond (22.9%) might get a little more run as a starting center if Joel Embiid faces any suspension stemming from the weekend. When empowered, Drummond merits more attention.
Assists: Pippen and Alvarado are two ideal additions for this stat, with Pippen having enduring value and upside.
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